Shipping start date of Fender's Corona CA Plant

[telemoxy]

Does anyone know the month and year that Fender stated shipping from it's new Corona California plant following the sale from CBS to the current owners Around 1984-85?

[eggle]

fender

from january until october 1985, no usa fenders were built, stock was shipped to japan and built there until 1987. although it is believed that a group of 4 people where constructing guitars at the corona plant and had a turn over of 10 per day. not sure really, kind of muddy area, anyhow
Fender opened their new factory in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, on 7 May 1987

[David Schwab]

following the sale from CBS to the current owners...

Actually Fender was sold again since then. So they aren't the current owners anymore, though some might be still with the company.

[telemoxy]

from january until october 1985, no usa fenders were built, stock was shipped to japan and built there until 1987. although it is believed that a group of 4 people where constructing guitars at the corona plant and had a turn over of 10 per day. not sure really, kind of muddy area, anyhow
Fender opened their new factory in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, on 7 May 1987

Thanks. That is helpful.

Yes, it is a muddy area. I wonder if the Japanese assembled instruments were marked Made In Japan (MIJ) or Made in USA.

[telemoxy]

Actually Fender was sold again since then. So they aren't the current owners anymore, though some might be still with the company.

Perhaps that more recent sale had something to do with facilitating the retirement of the guy who led the employee buyout in the 80s.

[David Schwab]

Perhaps that more recent sale had something to do with facilitating the retirement of the guy who led the employee buyout in the 80s.

I imagine it was... and I'm sure it made a tidy profit for all involved. Fender sure is a big conglomerate now. They recently bought Ovation guitars!

[telemoxy]

I imagine it was... and I'm sure it made a tidy profit for all involved. Fender sure is a big conglomerate now. They recently bought Ovation guitars!

Here is an interesting link that came up in a Google search. I wonder if Gibson will try to buy them. Scary thought.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3790631.stm

They are private so maybe they are going public to allow the rest of the employees to cash out. They are riding high at the moment so maybe they feel this is the time to do it.

[David Schwab]

Here is an interesting link that came up in a Google search. I wonder if Gibson will try to buy them. Scary thought.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3790631.stm

They are private so maybe they are going public to allow the rest of the employees to cash out. They are riding high at the moment so maybe they feel this is the time to do it.

That was the last sale I was talking about ... see the date?

Last Updated: Wednesday, 9 June, 2004

Someone bought them, but I have no idea who.

Gibson has a lousy track record with buying companies. They buy a good company and cheapen them over night. They bought Op Code and just killed them off. What was the point? For some of their MIDI stuff they are just coming out with now?

They bought Steinberger, couldn't figure out how to make the composite necks and bodies, and then came out with some low end all wood instruments they sold on Music Yo. Ned had to step back in and design some new stuff and get them to use Moses graphite necks.

They bought Tobias, didn't promote them much, and then tried to enter the bass market again with those dumb Les Paul basses.

They bought Trace Elliott and killed off most of the line, except acoustic guitar amps, and came out with a bunch of budget practice amps. Thank God they sold the company back to the original owners!

They seem to be really preoccupied with budget instruments. That cheapens the brand and makes people think it's junk. They seem to think if they are lacking something (like basses) they will buy a company (like Tobias) but then they use the same logic than prevented them from making basses anyone wanted in the first place... then everyone buys the MTD's instead.

Fender at least buys a company and more-or-less leaves them alone... except renaming some Guild guitars as DeArmonds.